Saturday, November 7
Imigrasi renews visa patrols, arrests foreigner in Kuta + More PCR testing capacity coming online in Badung + Almost 100k people fly through airport during holiday, driving big monthly growth + more!
Good morning! Welcome to The Bali Beat for Saturday, November 7. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up here to get this update delivered directly to your Inbox every Monday-Saturday morning, along with each evening’s Covid-19 update. If you are already a subscriber, thank you! Please be sure to share it with others in the foreigner community on the island by clicking the button below.
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PUBLICATION REMINDER: I’m off tomorrow, so there will be no newsletter in the morning. However, the evening Covid-19 update will publish as normal; and being Sunday, it will include a wrap-up of the week’s numbers and put them in context with previous weeks.
Weather & Waves
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Surf Outlook
Weather forecast from Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Surf outlook via Windy.com.
Local Covid Numbers
*NOTE: Click here to see the national numbers infographic, trend charts, and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers in our evening update.
The Big News
"Not Having Documents, Timpora Secures Moroccan Foreigner in Kuta" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): A foreign national (WNA) from Morocco was arrested by a foreigner surveillance team (Timpora) from an inn in Kuta District, Badung Regency on Thursday afternoon. The woman was arrested because she did not have travel documents or a residence permit. Furthermore, the woman was secured to the Ngurah Rai Jimbaran Special Class I Immigration office for an in-depth examination... During the examination of the woman, she claimed that her passport was with her travel agent, so she was unable to apply for a residence permit. "We are still investigating the statement. Later we will explain the reasons for not having the complete documents. However, the initial admission was because the passport was still on the travel agent," explained Suhendra.
(Ed. Note: This is the first media report of a foreigner being swept up in the patrols that have been going on in the parts of the island covered by the airport Imigrasi office since the announcement about them appeared in the October 1 issue of this newsletter. According to this thread that appeared yesterday on the Airport Imigrasi Office’s Twitter account, officials held a meeting about their efforts on November 3 and intend to continue the patrols. They’ve also asked all government agencies to help them monitor the movement of foreigners in the area. This is your reminder that all foreigners are required to have identification and proof of visa or residence permit on them at all times.)
"With Two PCR Tools Available, RSD Mangusada Maximizes Swab Testing" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Managing Director of RSD Mangusada, dr. Ketut Japa said that the Mangusada RSD now has two PCR devices. However, the trial stage is still underway. "We at RSD Mangusada now have two PCR devices. However, the tool that is still being tested is assistance from BNPB, because two days ago or Monday. we just received it. It takes approximately two to three weeks to conduct the trial," explained dr. Ketut Japa.
(Ed. Note: This hospital in Badung is the third on the island to announce that it has added a second PCR testing machine in the last two weeks, and that it has been provided by the central government in Jakarta. Since the Provincial Government does not publish testing numbers, it is not yet clear what effect this increased capacity is having/will have on positivity rates or new case numbers.)
"During Long Holiday At End of October, I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport Serves 92,000 Passengers" from Berita Bali (Indonesian): "On average, we served 10,330 passengers on domestic routes per day. For the daily average figure on weekdays, usually only about 6,000 passengers per day. So this is growth of 64-74%," explained General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport - Bali, Herry AY Sikado... "During the month of October, we served 231,586 passengers and 3,058 aircraft movements. The October note also grew when compared to the previous September note. There was a growth of 30% for passenger movements, as well as 18.5% for airplanes. The more positive, the more it grows from month to month," he added. In the same period in 2019, PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) as the manager of the Bali Island air gate recorded 19,996,928 passengers and 128,128 aircraft movements were served. Thus, if a comparison is made between the two periods, there is a difference of 14,542,243 passengers and 81,367 aircraft movements, or a decrease of 73% and 64% respectively.
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Other Headlines
"Number of Traffic Tickets Drops Sharply Thanks to Pandemic" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): The number of vehicle fixes carried out by the Denpasar Police Traffic Unit until the third quarter (January to September 2020 period) reached 12,686. This number has fallen sharply from the same period in 2019, which reached 20,069. The decrease in the numbers was in line with National Police policy due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Traffic Police has done more to disseminate health protocols rather than carry out traffic sanctions. For example, during the Lempuyang Zebra Operation which was held for two weeks (26 October to 8 November), Traffic Police did not carry out collections at all. The Traffic Police only made humanist admonitions. More socialization of health protocols.
"Foreigners Can Buy Apartments with Restrictions" from Indonesia Expat: The policy of ownership of flats (sarusun) or apartments for foreign citizens, as stipulated in article 144 of the Job Creation Law is seen as controversial. The Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA) has said that the opening of foreign ownership of apartments or flats is contrary to agrarian reform. “It’s estimated that many foreigners will come to Indonesia in line with the presence of their investment,” he said... Article 144 paragraph 1 of the Job Creation Law states that ownership rights to apartment units can be given to:
Indonesian citizens
Indonesian legal entities or citizens of foreign countries who have permits in accordance with the provisions of national legislation
Foreign legal entities that have representatives in Indonesia
Representatives of foreign countries and international institutions that are located or have representatives in Indonesia.
"Indonesian Airlines Lure Passengers with Discounts" from The Jakarta Post: To attract more passengers, Indonesian airlines have slashed airfares. Low-cost carrier Sriwijaya Airlines and Nam Air, for instance, are offering a special price of Rp 170,000 (US$11.82) for all domestic routes for tickets purchased on Nov. 10 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Moreover, low-cost carrier Citilink announced on Oct. 23 that it had cut fares by 10 to 15 percent for all flights departing from 13 airports, including Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, Kualanamu Airport in North Sumatra and I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, following the Transportation Ministry’s passenger service charge exemption. The exemption is valid from Oct. 23 through Dec. 31. National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and low-cost carrier Lion Air reportedly have also reduced airfares.
"Garuda Indonesia Preparing to Bring Foreign Tourists to Bali" from CNN Indonesia (Indonesian): PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk together with the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy ( Kemenparekraf ) are planning to bring foreign tourists on vacation to Indonesia, especially Bali. President Director of Garuda Indonesia Irfaniaputra said that his party was preparing a strategy to “invite” foreign tourists to vacation in Indonesia after the Covid-19 pandemic was resolved. Irfan hopes that, next year, Garuda can again provide flight services for tourists if the covid-19 vaccine has been distributed. "Garuda and the Ministry of Tourism are not focused on bringing Indonesians abroad but on bringing foreigners to Indonesia, traveling to Indonesia, and spending their money in Indonesia," said Irfan.
(Ed. Note: This declaration comes after the government announced on Monday that Garuda, along with 8 other travel-focused state-owned agencies, would be reorganized under a single company. It is not yet clear if Garuda’s shift in focus towards international visitors will be reflected or copied by the other travel sector companies that the government owns.)
"Bali Has Electric Buses, You Can Enjoy It Free until the End of the Year" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): "As a tourist destination, Bali should have mass transportation that is free of pollution," said Koster when launching the bus. He hopes the Balinese people will start to have awareness to shift to public transportation in the midst of narrow land and a growing population. "Don't keep using private vehicles," he said... In this trial phase, two electric bus fleets were introduced to Balinese. During the two-month trial period, this medium-sized bus will serve five tourist routes, starting from Ngurah Rai Airport, Kuta parking center, Singaraja to West Bali. President Director of the Djakarta Passenger Transport Corporation (PPD) Pande Putu Yasa at the bus launch said that if the electric bus trial was successful, Bali could propose an additional electric bus fleet to the central government next year.
"Bali Chosen by PLN to Develop A Solar Panel Industry" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): PT. Indonesian Power together with PT. The State Electricity Company (PLN) will develop a solar panel industry in Jembrana Regency, Bali. Indonesia Power and PLN chose Bali for the development of the solar panel industry because it is the only province in Indonesia that has a Governor Regulation on Clean Energy... The Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, said that the solar panel industry is currently producing in Bandung Regency, West Java, with a capacity of 70,000 panels per year. Because later there will be an increase in capacity, the additional will no longer be produced in Bandung, but will be built in Bali.
"Pay Your Tuition in Coconuts: Bali Tourism School Gives Struggling Students Nutty Alternative" from Coconuts: Wayan Pasek Adi Putra, founder of Venus One Tourism Academy in the Tegallalang district of Gianyar Regency, said that students have expressed concerns about their ability to pay their tuition fees during the global health crisis. “I have so many students, 200 of them, most of whom have shared their struggles about paying for tuition, especially when many of their parents are on unpaid leave due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Adi said... As the academy, which was established in 2017, also produces virgin coconut oil (VCO), Adi thought the coconuts-for-tuition initiative will not only help get them involved in the production process, but also lessen their burden. “So I thought: why not? I need coconuts, so rather than looking everywhere for them, why not just let the students bring the coconuts to campus?”
How You Can Help
In response to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali and the resulting economic crisis, dozens of individuals and organizations have sprung into action, raising funds and distributing badly needed food and everyday essentials to the innumerable families who have suddenly found themselves without any source of income. We've been making an effort to document and raise awareness of these efforts. We will add information on projects in this space as we are able to confirm them. If you'd like to see a list of the efforts that we've featured so far and contribute to them with either time or money, visit our complete list here. You can also see a list of projects that have registered themselves at BaliSolidarity.org. If you know of an effort and would like to have them listed, please send their information to newsletter@migrationmedia.net.
About This Newsletter
This newsletter is a product of Migration Media, the hub for stories from and about the international migrant experience.
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